Haw Par (SGX:H02) Ticks All The Boxes When It Comes To Earnings Growth

Investors are often guided by the idea of discovering 'the next big thing', even if that means buying 'story stocks' without any revenue, let alone profit. Sometimes these stories can cloud the minds of investors, leading them to invest with their emotions rather than on the merit of good company fundamentals. Loss making companies can act like a sponge for capital - so investors should be cautious that they're not throwing good money after bad.

In contrast to all that, many investors prefer to focus on companies like Haw Par (SGX:H02), which has not only revenues, but also profits. While profit isn't the sole metric that should be considered when investing, it's worth recognising businesses that can consistently produce it.

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Haw Par's Earnings Per Share Are Growing

The market is a voting machine in the short term, but a weighing machine in the long term, so you'd expect share price to follow earnings per share (EPS) outcomes eventually. That means EPS growth is considered a real positive by most successful long-term investors. Shareholders will be happy to know that Haw Par's EPS has grown 23% each year, compound, over three years. As a general rule, we'd say that if a company can keep up that sort of growth, shareholders will be beaming.

Careful consideration of revenue growth and earnings before interest and taxation (EBIT) margins can help inform a view on the sustainability of the recent profit growth. On the revenue front, Haw Par has done well over the past year, growing revenue by 5.9% to S$253m but EBIT margin figures were less stellar, seeing a decline over the last 12 months. So it seems the future may hold further growth, especially if EBIT margins can remain steady.

The chart below shows how the company's bottom and top lines have progressed over time. For finer detail, click on the image.

Check out our latest analysis for Haw Par

While profitability drives the upside, prudent investors always check the balance sheet, too.

Are Haw Par Insiders Aligned With All Shareholders?

It should give investors a sense of security owning shares in a company if insiders also own shares, creating a close alignment their interests. So it is good to see that Haw Par insiders have a significant amount of capital invested in the stock. To be specific, they have S$27m worth of shares. That's a lot of money, and no small incentive to work hard. Even though that's only about 0.8% of the company, it's enough money to indicate alignment between the leaders of the business and ordinary shareholders.

Is Haw Par Worth Keeping An Eye On?

You can't deny that Haw Par has grown its earnings per share at a very impressive rate. That's attractive. Further, the high level of insider ownership is impressive and suggests that the management appreciates the EPS growth and has faith in Haw Par's continuing strength. The growth and insider confidence is looked upon well and so it's worthwhile to investigate further with a view to discern the stock's true value. Still, you should learn about the 1 warning sign we've spotted with Haw Par.

Although Haw Par certainly looks good, it may appeal to more investors if insiders were buying up shares. If you like to see companies with more skin in the game, then check out this handpicked selection of Singaporean companies that not only boast of strong growth but have strong insider backing.

Please note the insider transactions discussed in this article refer to reportable transactions in the relevant jurisdiction.

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.